"A Survey of the Cities of London and Westminster, and the Borough of Southwark: containing the original, antiquity, increase, present state and government of those cities"  John Stow, 1754
The Survey is a monumental synthesis of London’s history, merging John Stow’s original Elizabethan observations with the extensive 18th-century updates of John Strype. It serves as a comprehensive topographical and social census, documenting the city’s evolution from an ancient walled capital into a sprawling Georgian metropolis. The text meticulously catalogs every ward, parish, and street, alongside detailed accounts of the city's legal customs, the power of its Livery Companies, and the state of its great hospitals and churches. By recording the "present state" of the city just as the Industrial Revolution loomed, the book acts as a definitive archive of London’s architecture, commerce, and civic identity, preserving the legacy of the town's rebuilding after the Great Fire of 1666.
This rare and uniquely bound single-volume edition represents a fascinating departure from the traditional two-volume sets of 1754. By consolidating the entire work into one massive folio and omitting the expensive maps, this copy serves as a quintessential "scholar's edition" or "working copy." In the 18th century, the value of a book was largely dictated by its copperplate engravings; therefore, by binding the text alone, the original owner created a "poor man’s" reference that prioritized raw information over decorative luxury. This utilitarian format allowed the owner to retain the full breadth of Stow and Strype's vital historical, genealogical, and topographical data in a more accessible, albeit formidable, physical package. Today, such volumes stand as rare survivors of a practical approach to book ownership, favored by those who viewed the Survey not as a status symbol for display, but as an indispensable tool for the study of London’s history.
 
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